A Surprise Visit
by summerrose1
Summary: Marcel enjoys a nice night at a bar, but what happens when someone unexpected comes for a visit?
1. Chapter 1

It was a lively evening in New Orleans, and the French Quarter was filled with the sounds of a band playing jazz music. Tourists excitedly walked down the sidewalks, with smiles on their faces and drinks in their hands.

Among the people, there was a man who stood out from the others. But everyone was too happy, or for some people, already too drunk to notice. This man, with short brown hair, walked slowly down the street.

Unlike the people around him, he was not socializing, laughing or joking. Everyone was in party or casual attire, but this man wore a suit. His grey jacket and pants were neatly ironed, and he wore polished black shoes.

The suited man approached a bar. It had brick walls, with large windows in the front. Patrons could be seen inside, seated at a dark mahogany bar with matching bar stools with black cushions.

He paused at the doorway for a moment, before stepping inside.

Inside the bar, Marcel is talking and laughing with a couple of friends. The suited man stood behind Marcel. Marcel sensed a presence behind him. He turned around, his face in shock. A hint of worry came over his eyes, and his eyebrows turned upwards.

"Tristan!? What….."

Tristan almost smiles, with his eyes and mouth holding amusement. His eyes had a slight mocking look to them.

"How are you here? I killed Elijah! Are you a spirit?" says Marcel. He gets up from his stool and stands up.

"No, I'm not a spirit," replies Tristan.

"But you were in a shipping container! At the bottom of the ocean with the serratura keeping you in there. How are you here?" asked Marcel.

"You killed Elijah?" said Tristan, almost surprised, even through his composure. He turned his head to the side slightly and looked expectantly towards Marcel.

"I did… I thought I did! I bit him! He was supposed to die! There IS. NO. CURE!" shouted Marcel, kicking a barstool over. The bar stool hits the floor with a bang, and Marcel's friends get up from their stools and look at him.

Tristan actually smiled, amused again. "You bit him? What have you been up to this whole time? A type of…. Poison bite, I presume? Are you a hybrid? But even if you are a hybrid, hybrids don't kill originals."

"Lucien created a serum that creates an upgraded original. His bite could kill an original. Finn was brought back from the dead, but then Lucien killed him," Marcel explained.

Tristan raised his eyebrows, and looked displeased.

"Weren't you guys friends back in the day… or lovers?" asked Marcel, teasingly.

"Oh Marcel, you are a funny fellow, aren't you. No, we weren't lovers, but I knew Finn quite well."

"Quite well," said Marcel, using air quotes.

Tristan looks at Marcel, clearly annoyed. "Carry on with your story, Marcel. Apparently, you became the new leader of the Strix," says Tristan.

"So, Lucien was killed by hijacking the ancestral magic. He was supported by the ancestors. The Mikaelsons are true hypocrites. Always going on about "always and forever". And yet they sacrificed Davina to do that! They could have found another way", Marcel explained.

"Yes, we do share that hatred for the Mikaelsons," Tristan said.

"Anyway, so Lucien actually created two serums. He gave one to your sister, Aurora."

"Where is Aurora?" asked Tristan, concerned. "If you killed her-"

"I saw her leaving the Mikaelson compound years ago. Freya had her under some sort of sleeping spell, but since the Mikaelsons are gone now, Freya was not able to spell her again, so she left, and I haven't seen her since."

"You haven't seen her since? Are you telling lies, Marcel? I will kill you in front of all of your followers if you have touched even a hair on her head-"

"I'm not lying. Also, I am an upgraded original, and I can kill you easily. Your threats don't affect me," responded Marcel.

"Anyway, so the serum was removed from Aurora and Vincent stole the serum. I took it, and so here I am," said Marcel, smiling triumphantly. Marcel went over to a nearby bar stool and sat down.

"Marcel, that is quite the interesting story. Now, why are there no more Strix in New Orleans? There are groups of Strix from all over the world, but there are no longer Strix in New Orleans. A group of Strix from France were the ones who removed me from the box. Earlier on, they tried to contact the New Orleans Strix, but they received no answer."

Marcel smiled proudly. "I killed them," he responded.

Anger tinted Tristan's features. "They told me that you were made the leader of the Strix. And then you kill your own members."

"When I killed Elijah, I didn't want anyone getting in the way. I'll kill you next if that's what I need to do," said Marcel.

"If you apparently killed Elijah, my sire, then how I am still alive?" asked Tristan.

"That's what I want to know," said Marcel.


	2. Chapter 2

Marcel Gerard POV

"I need to find out how you are alive. There is only one person who will know about this," I said to Tristan.

I lead him below ground, and we approached an old rusty gate. I unlocked it, and it creaked open.

The air was damp, and light glowed dimly from candles near the walls.

Klaus sat in the center, bound by chains. He was in the middle of a white circle, which supported the boundary spell in case he managed to escape.

He stared at the floor, looking defeated, although I'm pretty sure that a man like him is never truly feels defeated.

"Tristan!?" said Klaus, as we approached.

"You have come here as a ghost? Why? To torment me?" Klaus asked.

"No, Klaus, I'm not a spirit. However, as you know, I do enjoy tormenting-"

"He's not a ghost," I said.

"Okay then. But how did Tristan manage to get out of the serratura boundary?"

"We used a heretic named Valerie. Since heretics are both vampire and syphons, she was able to siphon away the magic of the serratura," Tristan responded.

"Where is Elijah?" I said to Klaus. He must be hiding something. Elijah got away, somehow…. Those Mikaelsons always have tricks up their sleeves.

"I don't know," Klaus said.

"Well obviously you do, or else he wouldn't be alive!"

I continued to try to get answers from Klaus, but he claimed to not know anything.

"I suppose I'm not getting anything out of you," I said, turning around and walking out of the gate with Tristan.

I called Vincent, and told him that I needed a locator spell. A short time passed, and Vincent arrived.

"Hello Marcel", said Vincent, " why do you need a loc-"

He looked to the right of me and noticed Tristan. "He's not a ghost, by the way," I said.

I told Vincent to come with me to a room. In an old drawer, there are a few items that belonged to the Mikaelsons. I took out the items so he could do the locator spell.

Vincent tried the spells. "Nope. Nothing. It's as if they're dead," he said.

Vincent and I left the room. I looked around. Tristan had left while Vincent and I were away.

I don't think I'm going to kill Tristan, at least not yet. There might be something that he knows about Elijah, some detail, that will lead me to him.

But besides Tristan, I need to figure out where the Mikaelsons are. Since the locator spell didn't work, they must be hidden by a spell. I am going to get some of my people to search for them. But also I will search for the Mikaelsons myself.

I need to find Elijah. I will kill him this time, and he will not get away.

Tristan de Martel POV

Later that Day- New York City

I left Marcel and Vincent after I heard that the locator spell didn't work because Marcel might decide to imprison me. I don't want to end up like Niklaus.

I am also looking for Aurora. I finished questioning and compelling the staff of a cafe that Aurora often went to. Usually I use a limousine for transportation, but after being in the ocean for such a long time, I feel like walking. It's a silly thing, but I suppose after being drowned for years, it is not so surprising.

Suddenly, the walls started shaking. The crane must be lifting the crate into the ocean right now. I grabbed onto the side of the wall to keep my balance. Water started to seep in through the sides of the walls.

I looked around wildly. I couldn't breathe right, the water started to seep into my lungs….

"Are you okay?" a voice asked.

I blinked, and in front of me stood a man wearing a matching hat and apron. He carried a broom and dustpan in his hands.

"Yes," I said quickly.

He gave me a strange look and began to sweep under some of the tables.

Some people in the cafe didn't notice, because they were busy talking or eating, but others watched and stared. I imagined killing every last person who stared, but I have better things to do than focus on petty affairs.

I walked out of the shop. As I walked down the street, I thought about what just happened. It was a hallucination. Aurora was known as the sibling with a mental disorder, but I was always in control. I have a clear, rational mind. Being locked away and drowned for all of those years has caused this to happen to me.

The Mikaelsons did this to me. I wish I could kill Elijah. But I can't do that, because then I will also perish. What an inconvenient predicament.

I had gone to several of Aurora's favorite locations, however, I still couldn't find her.

I decided to go to a restaurant that I know she likes.

I questioned the waitress and showed her a picture.

"I saw her here," she said.

"Did she tell you anything?" I asked.

"She said that she was enjoying her time in New York, especially trying the new flavors," she said, showing me a bite mark on her neck.

So Aurora was definitely here, but I need to find out where she is now. Maybe she is still in New York, or maybe she left.

The waitress handed me a flyer. "Renaissance Faire. It's a short drive from the city. I heard that it's lots of fun," she said.

A renaissance festival, the last place I would want to go to. A human gathering, pretending to celebrate an era that they know very little about. For me, I have lived through both the middle ages and renaissance.

After compelling and interviewing more people, I found that Aurora had in fact gone to the renaissance festival.

I arrived at the festival, which was being held on a large field. Booths and tables were set up, and signs displayed different events that would be staged, such as jousting matches, sword fights, plays, etc.

Many people wore costumes. People dressed as kings, queens, knights, and even peasants. These costumes had very little accuracy, and these events and costumes were often more medieval than renaissance, but I suppose that's the point. Anyway, it doesn't really matter. Right now I will focus on finding Aurora.

I spotted Aurora a few minutes later, watching a joust. She stood about 10 feet away from me, and her long, red hair flowed in the slight breeze. I was almost positive it was her, and not just another woman with similar hair and stature- I sensed it in every inch of my being, but of course I had to make sure. Luckily, she turned her face slightly and I could see the side of her face, and I knew that it was Aurora. She seemed to smile at the upcoming victory at one of the men on the horses. My heart leaped in my chest as I realized that I had finally found her.

"My dearest Aurora," I said, approaching her.

She turned around, in shock.

"Tristan!"

Her shocked expression turned into a smile. This is a smile that I have longed to see, and now I am finally with her.

"You are finally back. I knew it would happen someday," she said in her melodic voice, as I felt her warm body hugging me.

"I missed you," I said.

She ran her fingers through my hair and ruffled it a bit. "I missed you too," she said.

"Why are you at a renaissance festival? I wouldn't have expected to see you here," I said.

"I wanted to know what it's like. Imagine if they knew that a real lord and lady were standing among them", said Aurora.


	3. Chapter 3

Marcel Gerard POV

In the last couple of days, my people and I have been looking for the Mikaelsons. So far, we have found many leads. However, most of those leads turn out to be false- just various people with trucks, people who look a bit like Hayley, or some strange occurrence that was assumed to be supernatural, but really wasn't.

Finally, a few leads have seemed real, and I am looking into them. Right now, I have Vincent with me in case we need to undo a cloaking spell.

A woman has been found who matches Hayley's description. She was seen driving a truck to a large house. A vampire from Klaus's sireline took a photo, and the woman in the photo looked exactly like Hayley. The woman in the photo has left the location that the photo was taken in, but I have tracked her into a new town.

"Well, the problem is, this could be any household with a truck. And maybe the woman just happens to look like Hayley" I said to Vincent.

"Yeah. The woman in the photo looks similar, but who knows. There must be thousands of households with trucks and women who look like Hayley. We could be doing this for years", said Vincent.

He is right. What are we supposed to do, go after every house with a truck and a woman with brown hair? Hopefully we will find the Mikaelsons soon.

As we searched, I thought again about my situation. I won't kill Rebekah. I love her, even though I detest her family, and a part of me detests her because she is a part of it all.

I also won't kill Hayley or Hope- Hope deserves to have a mother, and I would never harm a child. Children are not yet spoiled by the sins of adulthood. They aren't able to defend themselves. This is a large part of the reason why I saved Davina.

I know that in the beginning, I used Davina to have power over the witches. By keeping Davina, I could have her tell me if the witches were doing magic and breaking my rules. But over time, I began to know her, and care for her. Davina was like a daughter to me.

Davina was strong. Not only that, but she would do anything for her friends. Especially me, Josh, and that ridiculous Kol- she fought against her enemies, and anyone who threatened her friends. I respect her for that.

Another life ruined, due to the Mikaelsons.

We finally came upon the house that matched the description. It was a large, white house that was two stories tall. The front of it had a large porch and a porch swing. The windows had wooden shutters, and the front door was green. A truck was parked next to it. It said 'Grayson's Moving Company', and according to vampires from Klaus's sireline, was the one that was seen leaving New Orleans five years ago. Vincent and I crouched behind a bush and watched. We would observe the house for a short time to see if anyone came out, and to see if this was the right house.

A few minutes later, a woman walked out. It was Hayley.

I zoomed over to her. She looked surprised. "Hayley, it's time for the Mikaelsons-"

"What?!" she said, and turned towards me.

That is when I saw her face- she wasn't Hayley. She was someone different, some person I had never seen before.

"Who are you, anyway," I asked her.

"My name is Hayley," she said, too perfectly, almost robotically. "I am looking out for Elijah, Kol, Freya, and Rebekah."

So it seems that Hayley has compelled a human to act as her decoy. This is the same thing that Elijah did to the Trinity, compelling Lucien, Tristan, and Aurora all of those years ago. I suppose Hayley got her inspiration from Elijah's action.

Maybe I can get some information out of this decoy woman, and find out where the real Hayley is.

"Where is the real Hayley, and where are the real Mikaelsons?" I asked, compelling her.

"I don't know. She didn't tell me where she was going," the woman responded.

"If Hayley has compelled her, I can undo the compulsion and find information that she might know," said Vincent.

Vincent did the spell on her, and she sank to the ground on her knees, holding her head and screaming in pain.

"What the hell are you doing to me?!" she asked.

"I'm sorry about this, but these spells to undo compulsion are really painful. Vampires really get into the inner workings of your brain," said Vincent.

A few minutes later, Vincent questioned her.

"My real name is Susan," she said.

"Do you know where Hayley found you?" asked Vincent.

"I was in Georgia," said Susan.

"Did she tell you anything about where she was going?" Vincent asked.

"No."

"Are you sure? No comments at all?"

"I'm sure. All she told me was that my name would be Hayley, that I had to believe that I _was_ Hayley, and that I had to protect some people I've never heard of- Rebekah, Klaus, Elijah, Kol, and Freya. But I do remember something- Hayley's car was parked towards the southern direction of the freeway."

Vincent asked a couple of more questions, but he didn't find anything useful. At least we have some general idea of where Hayley went, unless she changed directions later.

I will track down more leads. We will find the real Mikaelsons, not some copycat decoys.


End file.
